CHANDIGARH: Around 18 months ahead of the 2024 general election, the BJP has trailed in three of the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Himachal Pradesh in the just-concluded Assembly polls. These parliamentary constituencies are Shimla, Hamirpur and Kangra. However, the BJP has performed well in the Mandi Lok Sabha seat which is currently with the Congress.
The parliamentary seats have 17 Assembly segments each to form a 68-member House.
In the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, represented by Anurag Thakur, son of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, the BJP could win only in four Assembly seats out of 17 falling under the parliamentary constituency. All the rest 13 were won by the Congress.
Major issues in this parliamentary segment were jobs, inflation and train service to Hamirpur from Una. The people also complained about absence of their representation in the Jairam cabinet. The political issue was the sidelining of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in the BJP.
In the parliamentary constituency of Kangra, Congress won 11 Assembly seats and BJP six as people were upset over the lack of development work. They alleged the government was centred on Mandi. Besides, wrong ticket allocation, sidelining of the Brahmins and the administration’s lax approach proved costly for the BJP.
The popularity of outgoing CM Jairam Thakur helped the BJP sail through Assembly segments in the Mandi constituency. The BJP has won 12 seats, giving a jolt to Congress which bagged five seats. This Lok Sabha seat is represented by Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh, the wife of former CM Virbhadar Singh as the grand old party won the seat last year in a bypoll.
In the Shimla parliamentary constituency, the BJP could win only three Assembly seats. The Congress won 13 seats and an Independent won one seat out of the total of 17 Assembly segments. The factor for the Congress’ win was the apple growers’ agitation, over 18% GST imposed on apple packing, and 100% import duty on the fruit.
Harish Thakur, a political science professor at Himachal Pradesh University, says there is hardly a 1% shift in the vote share as local issues such as the revival of old age pension dominated the Assembly polls.
